Italy (Italian: Italia) [s a large country in Southern Europe. It is home to the greatest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites - art and monuments are everywhere around the country. It is also famous worldwide for its cuisine, its fashion, the luxury sports cars and motorcycles, as well as for its beautiful coasts, lakes and mountains (the Alps and Appennines).

Two independent mini-states lie within Italy: San Marino and Vatican City. While technically not part of the European Union, both of these states are also part of the Schengen Region and the European Monetary Union.

Quick Facts

Capital  Rome 
Government  republic 
Currency  euro € (EUR) 
Area  301,230 sq km 
Population  59,619,290 (Jan 2008 est.) 
Language  Italian (official); minor German, French and Slovene-speaking communities 
Religion  predominately Roman Catholic (official) with mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community 
Electricity  230V/50Hz (European or Italian plug) 
Calling Code  +39 
Internet TLD  .it 
Time Zone  UTC +1 

Climate

The climate of Italy is that of typical Mediterranean countries. Italy has hot, dry summers, with July being the hottest month of the year. In the north, they experience cold winters, as compared to mild ones in the south. Some regions in the south of Italy can experience no rainfall for the whole summer season. The long mountain ranges in Italy impact the weather significantly, as you can experience very different weather going from town to town.

Cities

There are hundreds of Italian cities, here are nine of its most famous:

• Rome (Roma) - the capital, both of Italy and,one time, of the Roman Empire until 285 AD; home of the Roman Catholic Church (the Vatican).
• Milan (Milano) - Known as one of the main fashion cities of the world, it's also the most important centre of trade and business in all the country.
• Naples (Napoli) - Beside Venice, Taranto and Genoa,one of the most important port city in Italy. Naples is filled with life, and sun. Here you will find the best pizza in Italy, because it was born here. Naples is also near to the famous volcano Vesuvius and the ruins of the ancient Roman towns of Pompei and Ercolano.
• Florence (Firenze): City of "rebirth". This city is known for its architecture and art and for the impact it has had throughout the world. Florence is also home to Michelangelo's famous statue of David. Home to many other well-known museums of art.
• Turin (Torino) - First capital of Italy, after being the capital of Kingdom of Sardinia (actually Piedmont-centred), what had promoted national reunification. Home of the FIAT, the most important industry in Italy,. Turin is a well known industrial city, based on the aerospace industry and, of course, automobile industry. Home of the 2006 Winter Olympics.
• Bologna - Home of the first university in the western world. This city is filled with history, culture, and technology. Bologna is well known for its food. One of the world's great university cities.
• Genoa (Genova) - It was one of the most important medieval maritime republic. Very wealthy and diverse city. Its port brings in tourism and trade, along with art and architecture. Genoa is birthplace of Columbus and jeans.
• Pisa - Pisa, one the medieval maritime republic, is home to the unmistakable image of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Very touristy city. Streets are filled with vendors who will try to sell you anything. Famous too for the University "La Normale".
• Venice (Venezia) - Venice is known for its history (the most important, beside Genoa and Pisa, of the medieval maritime republics) , art, and world famous canals. One of the most beautiful cities in Italy; it is home to Island of Murano, which is famous for its hand-blown glass. St. Mark's Square is where most of the tourists are and can get very crowded in the summertime.

By plane

Italy has 500 national airline, Alitalia, as well as several smaller carriers, such as Meridiana or Air One. There are 406 budget routes flown from and within Italy by low cost airlines.

Most of mid-range international flights arrive to the following Italian cities:

• Milan - with 2 airports: Malpensa (MXP) and Linate (LIN); in addition, Bergamo (BGY - Orio al Serio) is sometimes referred to as "Milan Bergamo"

• Rome - with two airports: Fiumicino (FCO - Leonardo Da Vinci) and Ciampino (CIA)

• Bologna (BLQ – Guglielmo Marconi)

• Naples (NAP - Capodichino)

• Pisa (PSA - Galileo Galilei)

• Venice (VCE – Marco Polo)

• Turin (TRN – Sandro Pertini)

• Catania (CTA - Vincenzo Bellini)

Specialties

Almost every city and region has its own specialities, a brief list of which may include:

• Risotto - Aroborio rice that has been sautéed and cooked in a shallow pan with stock. The result is a very creamy and hearty dish. Meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables, and cheeses are almost always added depending on the recipe and the locale. Many restaurants, families, towns, and regions will have a signature risotto or at least style of ristotto, in addition or in place of a signature pasta dish (risotto alla Milanese is famous Italian classic). It's a typical dish in Lombardy and Piedmont.
• Arancini - Balls of rice with tomato sauce, eggs, and cheese that are deep fried. They are a southern Italian specialty, though are now quite common all over.
• Polenta - Yellow corn meal (yellow grits) that has been cooked with stock. It is normally served either creamy, or allowed to set up and then cut into shapes and fried or roasted. It is a very common dish in northern mountains restaurants, usually eaten with deer of boar meat.
• Gelato This is the Italian version of ice cream. The non-fruit flavors are usually made only with milk. Gelato made with water and without dairy ingredients is also known as sorbetto. It's fresh as a sorbet, but tastier. There are many flavors, including coffee, chocolate, fruit, and tiramisù.
• Tiramisù Italian cake made with coffee, mascarpone, and ladyfingers (sometimes rum) with cocoa powder on the top. The name means "pick-me-up."

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 Part or all of this text stems from the original article at: Wikitravel.org